BERLIN (AP) – The Italian drug regulator on Monday announced the precautionary, temporary ban on the use of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine amid new reports of people developing dangerous blood clots after taking the injection.
Italian Aifa said the decision “was taken in accordance with similar measures taken by other European countries”.
It added that “further investigation is currently underway into the matter”. The announcement was followed by a day on which the last known death of a person in Italy followed shortly after receiving the vaccine. A 57-year-old clarinet teacher, who received the vaccine in the North Piedmont region on Saturday night as part of a national rollout for teachers, died at home early Sunday morning.
Autopsies have been ordered for that death, as well as for a handful of other deaths last week of others in Italy who had received the vaccine.
France and Germany also stopped using the vaccine on Monday. AstraZeneca and the global health authorities insist the shot is safe.
THIS IS AN GREAT NEWS UPDATE. Below is AP’s earlier story.
BERLIN (AP) – French President Emmanuel Macron says France is suspending the use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine as a precaution.
Macron told a news conference on Monday that French authorities have decided to suspend shooting at least until Tuesday afternoon, when the European Medicines Agency will issue its recommendation on the vaccine. He did not elaborate on the reasons for the decision.
He said France hopes to be able to vaccinate again “soon” with AstraZeneca injections.
Other countries, including Germany on Monday, said it would temporarily discontinue use of the vaccine as a precaution amid reports that some people developed blood clots after receiving the injection.
AstraZeneca and the global health authorities insist the shot is safe.
THIS IS AN GREAT NEWS UPDATE. Below is AP’s earlier story.
BERLIN (AP) – Germany became the largest country in Europe on Monday to suspend use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine due to reports of dangerous blood clots in some recipients, although the company and European regulators said there is no evidence it is the culprit.
The country’s health minister said the decision was made on the advice of Germany’s national vaccine regulator, the Paul Ehrlich Institute, which called for further investigations into seven reported cases of blood clots in the brains of vaccinated people.
“Today’s decision is purely a precautionary measure,” said Jens Spahn.
Several countries, starting with Denmark last week, have temporarily stopped using the AstraZeneca vaccine in recent days to investigate cases of blood clots following vaccination. They include Ireland, Thailand, the Netherlands, Norway, Iceland, Congo and Bulgaria.
Last week, Germany was one of several countries that stuck with the shot.
Blood clots can travel throughout the body and cause heart attacks, strokes and deadly blockages in the lungs.
AstraZeneca has said there is no cause for concern about the vaccine and that there were fewer cases of thrombosis in those who received the injection than in the general population.
The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization have also said that the data does not suggest that the vaccine caused the blood clots and that people should continue immunization.
Spahn, Germany’s health minister, said of the decision to suspend AstraZeneca’s shot: “The most important thing for trust is transparency.”
Spahn said the European Medicines Agency would determine if and how the new information will affect approval of the vaccine across the continent, and expressed hope that the Amsterdam-based regulator would make a decision on the matter this week.
According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Germany has received just over 3 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Spahn said about 1.6 million doses of the shot have been administered in the country so far.
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